nbde 2 and ortho?

[dopa0321]

i was wondering...
i'm a 4th year and taking a year off after dental school and applying to ortho programs this summer. how important do you all think the boards part 2 score is? if there's a big difference (let's say 10-12 points), do you think they will ask me questions about it on the interviews? if you don't do well, do you think it's worth taking again?
i have a good nbde 1 score.

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[ItsGavinC]

i was wondering...
i'm a 4th year and taking a year off after dental school and applying to ortho programs this summer. how important do you all think the boards part 2 score is? if there's a big difference (let's say 10-12 points), do you think they will ask me questions about it on the interviews? if you don't do well, do you think it's worth taking again?
i have a good nbde 1 score.

I've obviously never been to an ortho interview, but I'll tell you what I think.

I think it's fairly important that your score be a good one. The typical applicant applies prior to taking Part 2, so that score is never factored into the equation. If you have a good score on Part I but a poor score on Part 2, it would raise some issues in my mind if I was an interviewer.

 

[dopa0321]

thanks. i haven't taken the part 2 yet but just in the pre-exam worrying stage. i'll keep it in mind.

 

[vorosvirag]

I'd say Part II is much less important than Part I. You obviously don't want to score poorly (too close to or below the average). But, you don't need a 95+ to be competitive. I don't even know how the Part II scores work in terms of percentiles.

Part II is probably much like the GRE. The committee will look at it. Yet, it is one of so many little factors. Class rank and Part I scores are bigger factors, in my opinion and experience.

 

[Jaybe]

I was in the same position when I applied. I got lots of comments about my Part 2 score. They were impressed that it was better than my part 1.

I think if you did good on part 1, it shows that you are capable and competitive, but then if you have a half-*ss Part 2 score, they may think you lack follow through.

Keen at the start, careless at the end. . . in a sense.

 

[yojimbo53]

on a similar note...

applications are due before the end of summer semester. therefore, do programs only see your class rank and grades up until the spring semester before, or do you have to update your stats before interviews start in the fall?

 

[BlueToothHunter]

As long as you get above 85 in Part 2, it shouldn't matter. The important question is: what did you do during your year "off" as a GP dentist? You'd better have an honest, sincere, worthwhile answer! If your time off involved working in a dental mill doing GP ortho, then safe to say it won't go down very well...

 

[Jyaki]

As long as you get above 85 in Part 2, it shouldn't matter. The important question is: what did you do during your year "off" as a GP dentist? You'd better have an honest, sincere, worthwhile answer! If your time off involved working in a dental mill doing GP ortho, then safe to say it won't go down very well...

I don't agree with that. A friend of mine that scored a 89 on Part I's was told to score a 95+ on part II's by the program director. I think that it's case dependent. Also, with how competitive it is now days, why not try to go above-and-beyond to minimize any risks than to do just "ok" and hope for the best?

 

[texas_dds]

your activities during the year off are more important than your part 2 score